AN interactive library storytelling session which explo- res stories creatively through role-play and crafts has won £1,000 after being shortlisted for a major award.

The We Love Stories project at Lydney Library landed the cash after being named one of the four finalists for the David Vaisey prize at a special event at Gloucester Cathedral.

The ultimate £5,000 award and the Willans Bowl went to a mobile library service that visits foodbanks in the North Cotswolds when the ultimate winner was announced at the Cheltenham Literature Festival .

Lydney library staff were delighted to be shortlisted for the prize, which is for county libraries and is named after a local man who at one point headed Oxford University’s prestigious Bodleian Library.

The weekly We Love Stories sessions explore books creatively through role-play, crafts and music.

Each interactive session has a theme, brought to life with props, activities and resident teddies.

The session is followed by ‘stay and play’ with craft activities and colouring sheets, while grandparents, dads, childminders and mums attend from diverse backgrounds.

One user said: “It’s got the whole family reading together, we love all of story time, it’s fantastic.”

The first winners of the prize two years ago were the Forest’s community-run Bream Library, which developed an imaginative initiative to increase the number of children using its facilities.

Its winning submission included running a regular club where children built using Lego and gained inspiration from Lego books they read to their parents.

The other two finalists this year were Bishop’s Cleeve Library, which provided a library in a care home and Cre8ee-Xplore at Gloucester Library, which provided interactive family storytime sessions

The team of judges included writers Rachel Joyce, Caroline Sanderson, Jamila Gavin, and literature advocates Trevor Hill and Julian Hasler, who visited the nine long-listed library projects over the summer.

Rachel Joyce said: “The judges have been extremely impressed by the diversity of entries.

“We have read stories with seven to 11- year-olds, searched for bears in libraries, and shared poetry and memories in a nursing home.

“We have seen libraries reaching out to people of all ages. The whole experience has been immensely enjoyable.”

For more details see www.davidvaisey prize.co.uk